4,000-year-old stone tools, earthenware unearthed from banks of river Narmada in Bhopal

Archaeologists have found 4,000-year-old stone tools and earthenware in a remote village on the banks of river Narmada in Harda district of Bhopal.

The treasures that have emerged could change our whole understanding of how evolution of mankind began along the Narmada. These priceless relics belonging to Chalcolithic Age are probably the most important archaeological discovery ever made in the region.

"One of the most remarkable things about the find is that we have found one earthen pot and a mound of 150x200 metres in village Birjakhedi. The more we are digging the surface, the more treasures are being found. Some even have figures of aquatic creatures on them," said Pankaj Rag, Commissioner, Archaeology Department.

What surprises us most are the findings of plaques, stone beads and game piece made of terracotta from just one site, he added.

Some of the pieces contain coloured impressions on them, he added. The most compelling and telling discoveries are jewel beads, bowel, dish and spouted jars from the site that proves that this was the period when humans started building homes and settled in colonies near the river banks.

The jewels found at the site are made of both stone and ivory. The government believes that they will eventually prove to be much more important and have greater significance compared to other finds ranging across different times and areas on the banks of river Narmada.

According to archaeologists D.K. Mathur and Dr O.P. Mishra, "Some of the discovered remnants like pot and jar were found intact with their bottom end stuffed in the mud". Mathur said they took many days to remove the stuffed mud covering and they took photographs to be shown to experts.

The state archaeology department has restricted the entry of visitors and is minutely doing the excavation work. The verification of these historical evidences would be done through carbon dating.